Gender experts have called for inclusive policies that promote fairness, advance gender equality and strengthen social protection for women, youths and persons with disabilities across Nigeria.

The experts made the call on Friday in Abuja at the inauguration of Nigeria’s Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Performance Leaderboard, which covers the 36 states.

Priscilla ‌Achakpa, founder and global lead of Women Environmental Programme (WEP), an NGO, urged the media, private sector and other stakeholders to support gender equality and social protection.

Ms Achakpa also urged families and communities to uphold dignity, care and equal respect for all, emphasising the need for collective action to advance gender equality and social protection.

According to her, gender equality and social protection are collective development concerns requiring the involvement of the media, private sector and other relevant stakeholders.

“Policies should recognise the different needs of individuals while promoting fairness and inclusion. Families and communities should treat girls, boys and persons with disabilities with dignity, care and equal respect,” she said.

Ms Achakpa said the GESI assessment examined the inclusion of women, youths and persons with disabilities in governance, recalling Nigeria’s commitment to leaving no one behind.

“This Leaderboard asks a simple question of every state: how far are women, youth and persons with disabilities truly included in the way you govern?

“To answer it, we assessed all 36 states across six areas, which include leadership and representation; policy and legal frameworks; accessible infrastructure; budget allocation; access to justice; and open governance.

“Our 108 trained data collectors, three in every state, gathered evidence through official records, interviews, online reviews, and physical inspections,” she said.

Ms Achakpa said the assessment would promote accountability among the 36 states, appreciating government officials who provided information and acknowledging partners, including Christian Aid, ActionAid and other supporting organisations.

John Baaki, co-executive director of WEP, said the organisation collected data on state legislators, executive council members and key judicial officials, including chief judges and customary and Sharia court leaders.

He said the team analysed available data to determine representation by gender, age and disability, using online searches where official records lacked sufficient details.

Mr Baaki said data collectors visited state secretariats to assess accessibility facilities, including ramps, elevators, accessible toilets, crutches and breastfeeding rooms.

He said states received scores based on available facilities, while ongoing construction earned partial marks, adding that Zamfara ranked low.

Aver Akighir, executive director of Hope Alive for Possibilities Initiative (HAPI), an NGO, urged stakeholders to translate commitments into tangible improvements and ensure nobody was left behind.

Iniobong Abiola-Awe, director of the Department of Climate Change, Ministry of Environment, urged state governments to use the findings to strengthen policies, institutions, budgetary commitments and implementation frameworks.

She also encouraged better-performing states to share effective practices and called for evidence-based decision-making and accountability to ensure equal opportunities in governance and access to climate interventions.

Ms Abiola-Awe was represented by Cordelia Elebeke of the ministry’s Department of Climate Change.

Stella Abah, senior gender equality and social inclusion specialist at Christian Aid, an NGO, urged state governments to use the report’s findings to strengthen accountability.

Ms Abah, who represented the organisation, emphasised the need to prioritise gender equality and social inclusion in planning, budgeting and service delivery, reaffirming Christian Aid’s commitment to collaborative efforts.

(NAN)